Dovizioso reckons F1-style teammate help for title not possible in MotoGP

Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso feels the Formula 1-like teammate helping each other is not be possible in MotoGP when fighting for world championship.

The two Ducati riders were asked during San Marino GP if they can join hands together in the bid to chase down Honda’s Marc Marquez like what was seen at Monza during the F1’s Italian GP between the two Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Dovizioso felt the way the team order is applied in F1 is not possible in MotoGP as the dynamics is different in two-wheel racing. He added that using teammates while fighting for title is in the history of F1 – something which is not so common in MotoGP.

Talking about the 2018 season where Marquez already has one hand on the title, the Italian said the target for both him and Jorge Lorenzo is to finish a minimum second in the championship beating Valentio Rossi, which makes working together impossible.

“I think it is a bit different story – Formula 1 and MotoGP is different about that [team orders],” said Dovizioso. “I think in a car it is quite normal to see that and most of the time they have to do if they want to win the championship – [you] can like it or not.

“It is the history of that sport. In our sport, it is a different story. At this moment, me and Jorge, we want to arrive minimum second in the championship, so we can’t make an agreement to try to recover points to Marc.”

His teammate Lorenzo initially did not understand the question but was explained that the question was whether the Ducati riders could work together in the races and finish ahead of Marquez, so as to have the chance to topple the Honda rider.

Once he understood, Lorenzo felt the team orders wouldn’t work in the current situation where both are trying to finish second in the championship but in a broader picture, his mentality would be to help his teammate if he is nowhere in the standings.

“I think you have to understand where we are in this moment,” he said. “Marc is first, I’m third and Dovi is fourth, but we are more or less equal points. We want all to finish as far [up the order] as possible.

“In this case second place is the most logical we have now – maybe first is something strange. So we want everyone to finish as far in front as possible. Another case, like last year, Dovi is fighting with Marc, I’m not fighting for nothing in the championship.

“In that case my mentality is try to help my teammate, so my factory, to try to win the title. And I will do whatever I can to help my teammate win the title. I will do this with Dovi, or whatever rider I will have in the future, or in the past.

“[Although] in the past I didn’t have more occasions to demonstrate it. But it’s my mentality, I support all mentalities, but my mentality is to support my factory.” Lorenzo sits third from Dovizioso with just one point separating the two.

Meanwhile, when Marquez was asked if the fight between the Ducati riders is actually helping him to run away with the title, the Spaniard felt otherwise as he reckoned the battle is only helping them to improve more as a team.

“I think the battle between Jorge and Dovi is the main reason why they are so fast,” he said. “Your teammate is always your first opponent, and they are riding really good right now, really fast. Each one is equal in the championship, just a difference of one point.

“And this is maybe the main reason why both Ducati riders in very strong. The bike is working very well, but they are improving race by race because they want win the championship. We try to defend, we try to attack in the points where we are faster.”

Freelance motorsport writer/PR. Loves motor racing, follows Formula 1 closely and most of the junior single-seater racing. Interest expands to MotoGP as well and prominent closed-wheel racing along with Indian motorsport.